The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-24
BILL NYE
Tells How He Searched for a Bar
ber-Wiiliam's Bravery.
AsHEv1LLE, N. c., February 1.

AsHEvILLE, n. c., February 1.
When I first came here began to
cast abouG me for good, fluent barber,
with whom could associate during The
winter, one Sho would not be ashamed
to be seen conversing with me, and still
withal, man who could administer a
clean shaye without pain.
fell into the hands of tall, brunette
orphan about So years OF age, named
Plum Levy-pronounced Levi. Every
body said that Plum was good hair
cutter, and, very likely, good shaver,
too. It was even reported that people
came here frequently from New York to
get their hair trimmed.
The first time I visited the shop Plum
wasn't there personally. l took tn.
chair of an assistant. 1t was very
disagreeabie chair, with caked places in
it. 1t was upholstered with body brus-
sells, and the seat had bones IN 1t. The
room is heated by means OF fireplace,
and the water for shaving is boiled in a
saucepan on the Goals. The assistant
was a perfect gentleman, though. he
did everything he could in social way
TO make me forget my troubles. For
half an hour he just simply dazzled me
with his conversational. powers, and
threw every influence about me to make
me contented. He told me so much
about the country and its recources that
wnen he got through with me | wrung
his hand with wet eyes. This may seem
to be q physical impossibillty, but did
lit.
For some time after that decided not
to shave any more. Ny beard is ginger
lcolored with a dash of red in it; but
others have risen to afduence and won
| g desthIess name who wore this kind of
beard. so | thought | would let 1t grow
and thus be able to horrify my children
| into a more thorough state OF discipline
than | am now able to maintain, Now
and then would 60 into the shop, how.
ever. hoping that Plum might be there,
and in that case | would have one more
oId-fashloned shave before l abandoned
myself to the wild and woolly depths of
tough, red beard; but Mr.. Levy was
engaged in building wing on his house,
| and so l would inhale a little smoke
from the fireplace and go away. Later
| on decided that | would give the other
assistant whack at my beard. He
looked like a likely young man whose
parents were dependent on him, so one
day got up into his chair.
His chair was not so hard to SIT IN as
! the first one, but it had very feyerlsh
breath and the head rest occasionally
slipped cog ard fell about four inches,
like the cellar door OF glbbet stooo
this until got shaved down to line
even with the angle of the jaw, and then
| r Il "a q having n, V
throat whiskers shaved off. | paid my
reckoning and went away with a red
tipuet of ginger colored plush around
the SUBURBS Of my neck like a middle
aged Mormon on mis- way to the endoW-
ment house.
| In two weeks a man who claimed TO
be friendly to my interests came to me
and in a hoarse voice informed me that
Plum Levy was at work in the shop.
| went there at a rapid rate. In the
corner near the chair. with blue fly
net on it, stood a tall gentleman OF
African descent. He smiled pleasantly
on me through a pair OF iron bound
spectacles and toId me in naughty
manner to be seated. sprang gayly
Into his red old chair, knocking out the
ldust and hair of forgotten generations
land Plum Levy ran his shiny black
i fingers over the desolate site Of my once
lhair. 1t did not take him long to de-
eide that il was doubtless shave thai
lI desired. I like to meet a man, be he
white or black, who can jump at con
lclusion that way with the utmost agility
and always nit It right.
He GOT some hot water out OF The
lsaucepan, slashed his brush around IN it
banked up my nostrils with lather, ano
when had to open my mouth IN order
to get a place to breathe through, M
lstabbed that full of the most u palata'
i, able ,soapsuds l ever ate.
glasses. which l had deposited on th'
sink. Evidently they did not fit HIM
for he resumed his own with sigh. Al
this he done with the utmost freedom
| can imagine how such man wcult
lact when he got chance at emanclpa
ltion. Wouldn't he gorge himself
wouldn't he like to get away into thu
woods somewhere by the side of car
load of freedom and just kind OF toun
ider HIMSELF wot so.
II He picked out razor with q white
handle; such as agricultural papers Of
fer to bows for one new name, and n
moved round over my fluffy cheek
turning nv head over so that the mid
day sun could shine into my works
until 1 moaned in low key in spite o
lmyse,f, Oh, how WANTED to go homo
How begged to see my family ono
morel How 1 told Mr.. Levy that
KNEW I had done wrong, and that ha.
written things about the southern eli
mate that was too severe, and that II
had nv life to live over again l wOul
not do SO; but, oh, would he not civ
me one more chance of reform? Woui
he not let me look once more upon To
faces of my wife and children before b
: cut upon the other side of my neck?
At last he relented, and went to tn
loffice of physician,
NY friends who recommend Mr.. Ley
lnow get out of it by stating that the
supposed 1 wanted my hair cut. The
say they never claimed that Plum Lev
z could shave for sour apples, but he ca
Just more than cut hair.-BW Nye
Boston Globe.
NUN IMAM NAN